The canvassing board of a Michigan county voted against certifying the results of the election because of two Republican members, and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) lashed out with the expected insult.
The votes from Republicans on the Wayne County Board of Canvassers on Tuesday deadlocked the motion at 2-2.
“Based on what I saw and went through in poll books in this canvass, I believe that we do not have complete and accurate information in those poll books,” said Chairwoman Monica Palmer, a Republican.
Board Vice Chairman Jonathan Kinloch, a Democrat, called the Republicans “reckless and irresponsible” over the vote.
Tlaib, a vocal opponent of President Donald Trump, blasted the Republicans and called them racist.
“The Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers put politics above their duty to our residents,” she tweeted.
It’s plain and simple, folks. The Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers put politics above the… https://t.co/C2TQPfdL0Q
— Rashida Tlaib (@Rashida Tlaib)1605656632.0
“Suggesting that all of Wayne County can be certified, EXCEPT for Detroit, is horrifying racist and a subversion of our democracy,” she added.
Michigan Republican Party Chairman Laura Cox released a statement praising the Trump administration for helping identify irregularities that led to the vote against certification.
“The people of Michigan deserve to know what happened in Wayne County on Election Day and the days following. I am proud that, due to the efforts of the Michigan Republican Party, the Republican National Committee and the Trump Campaign, enough evidence of irregularities and potential voter fraud was uncovered resulting in the Wayne County Board of Canvassers refusing to certify their election results. This action will allow more time for us to get to the bottom of these deeply troubling irregularities. The people of Michigan deserve fair, open and transparent elections, and we will continue to fight for just that.”
The deadlock highlighted the Republicans’ efforts to cast doubt on Michigan’s election, which President Donald Trump lost by more than 146,000 votes to Democrat Joe Biden.
The county had until Tuesday to certify the election results, which will now go to the office of the secretary of state. That office has 10 days to certify the results.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said that the results would be certified over the vote of the county canvassers board at the state level.
“Should the current decision of the Board of Wayne County Canvassers hold through the adjournment of today’s meeting, the Board of State Canvassers will be responsible for certifying the Wayne County election,” said Benson in a statement on Twitter.
“In similar circumstances in the past, state canvassers have appointed the Bureau of Elections to carry out the processes of canvassing the vote and voter totals. The Bureau stands ready to fulfill this duty and we expect this will address clerical errors and improve the quality of the canvass overall,” she added.
Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also criticized the Republicans on the canvassers board.
“Today’s action is a blatant attempt to undermine the will of the voters. The process, however, will move forward. Under Michigan law, the Board of State of Canvassers will now finish the job and I have every expectation they will certify the results when the job is done,” she said in part.
Here’s more about the vote from Michigan:
Wayne County board deadlocks on certifying election results
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